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Late last year, Amy Schumer made history as the first female comedian to break Forbes' top five highest-paid comedians list, which featured Kevin Hart in the top position. While the upset was exciting, the roundup still featured a lot of white dudes whose names I can't seem to remember (and I'm a comedy editor). As some factions of the entertainment community make efforts to balance out representation, NYC's comedy scene is taking the issue head on. Last year, Coree Spencer founded the Cinder Block Comedy Festival, which spotlights performers from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, and features improv, sketch, stand-up and storytelling and variety acts. It's a great showcase for well-established names like Frank Conniff, along with some of our favorite rising NYC comics.
In anticipation for this September's festival, the Cinder Block team is offering early registration for women, people with disabilities, people of color and LGBT comedians until March 7. Standard registration runs from March 8–April 15, so you can still get pitch your shtick, but the early registration comes with a discounted fee of 19.25.
Last year's fest was a big success, with shows by some of the funniest New Yorkers, including Lynn Bixenspan, Carolyn Castiglia, Calvin Cato and Marga Gomez.
The second annual Cinder Block Comedy Festival takes place September 7–10. You can register here.